A Party and a Problem
by rnatalia98
Summary: Ash, Misty, May, Dawn, and Brock (not to mention Mrs. Ketchum the '8os Barbie...you'll have to wait and see about that) are invited to the Oaks' Halloween party. At first, everyone is in a great mood, but as Misty's emotions take control, they steer her into a situation she'll never forget. Mainly Pokéshipping with some Contestshipping and Penguinshipping.
1. Chapter 1: Invitations

Chapter One: Invitations

It was the night before Halloween, and Misty had never felt so excited.

It wasn't because May and Dawn were sleeping over for a whole week (which would have normally excited her so much that she would have probably spontaneously combusted, because her sisters never let her have her friends over when she was living at the Cerulean Gym), or because they had just watched a number of horror movies, all of which were incredibly cheesy (except, of course, to the blue-haired girl who now sat curled up and trembling on Mrs. Ketchum's sofa, vowing to never lay eyes upon a single doll again), or even because Gary Oak had dropped by with five invitations to his Halloween party, which was tomorrow night, provoking Dawn to stare aimlessly and smile at him, twirling her silky cobalt hair around with one hand as she continued to unnerve the boy with her possessed doll grin. May would have helped her out of this awkward situation had not Drew showed up next to Gary and flashed that million-dollar smile of his at May, flipping his lovely green hair ever so slightly as he did so, and now there were two possessed dolls, whom Misty pushed aside awkwardly to take the invitations from Gary, who by this time was looking a bit uneasy. "Hope you guys can come," he said, glad to be distracted from the menacingly adoring Dawn. "It's going to be a ton of fun, and don't forget, we're having a costume contest this year—" he shifted his focus now to his admirer—"and cuteness is one of the categories." He winked at Dawn, and she started breathing so hard that Mrs. Ketchum heard and took her to sit down on the sofa.

"We'd love to," giggled Misty. Gary gave her a friendly smile, waved goodbye to May (who was still staring at Drew with a hungry look in her eyes), and the two of them turned to walk back towards Professor Oak's laboratory. Misty closed the door behind them.

"Could you two be any more obvious?" she asked the other girls, who were already jumping up and down on the couch, screaming about how cute Gary and Drew were and how their hair gleamed in the moonlight and how their eyes were so deep and mysterious and Misty just stared at them.

"You know, Mrs. Ketchum wouldn't like you bouncing around all over her furniture," she tried, but the voice of reason was drowned out by more screams and other girly outbursts, so she decided to go upstairs to their room and just wait out the storm. _And I can try on my costume, _she thought, her mind returning to an important topic. She really was excited about the one she had this year, and this was the real reason for her ecstasy. In the past, she had always been subjected to wear her sisters' hand-me-down Halloween costumes, which meant always going as either a princess or a fairy, or even worse, she had to don one of the homemade Pokémon outfits they had "crafted with love" just for her, such as the Raticate costume Lily made out of a burlap sack, a pair of brown fuzzy slippers, which Misty was pretty sure had some kind of disease, not to mention they were missing large chunks of fur and shed constantly, and an excess of dollar-store face paint, which had melted off halfway when Seel pushed her into the pool during their game of Tag. The others were horrified to see a soaking wet little Raticate emerge from the depths, its face peeling off and its feet shedding profusely into the water. But they were late for a party, and Daisy refused to let her change, saying that all the hot guys would be taken if they wasted any more time, and Lily and Violet, not willing to take any chances where hot guys were involved, dragged her along as she was, which ended up with the not-so-Sensational-sisters having to extricate a butt-naked five-year-old from a fountain…Misty shuddered. This year, things would be different. At least she hoped she wouldn't end up naked and in a fountain.

She opened up the top drawer and pulled out a long, shimmering, turquoise gown, her eyes reflecting the beautiful colors as it flowed through her hands like water. And that was what she was going to be—water. It was her favorite thing in the world; it was versatile and ever-changing, mysterious and lovely. Just what she wanted to be. For once, Misty was not going to come second place to her sisters in some reject costume. She was going to be beautiful.

"Ohhh…it's lovely," breathed May from where she stood right outside the open door. Dawn appeared next to her, nodding in agreement. "It suits you, babe."

Not to be drawn into a moment where everyone was fawning over her, she snorted and flashed them both her most self-confident Gary Oak grin. "Whatever. Show me yours."

Immediately the two girls shifted from oohing and aahing over Misty's costume to squealing about theirs. They quickly stripped down and changed, and faster than you could say _Pikachu_, she was faced with a Nurse Joy doppelganger (if Nurse Joy was a brunette and had skinny little legs decked out in gaudy holiday socks) and a Playboy bunny.

"Gee, Dawn, where's your costume?" she inquired innocently of the eternally sexy and equally outgoing teenager. Dawn punched her in the arm.

"This party will be amaaazing," she said to the others dreamily, resting her head in her hands. "Maybe I'll even get my first kiss."

Misty snorted. "It's not even tonight."

May sashayed up to Dawn and began fixing her hair so no stray pieces showed. "Well, I hope it's perfect for all of us." She pulled out a tube of pink sparkly lipgloss and started applying it to Dawn's plump lips. Then she stopped. "Guys, do you think Drew likes me?"

"Why wouldn't he? You're perf, babe." Dawn. Always armed with an intelligent answer.

Misty snorted again. "Maybe he'd be into you if you didn't go all creepy psycho on him whenever you two catch a glance at each other."

"It's called _physical attraction_," sniffed May, returning to applying Dawn's lipgloss.

"Please! You can't even talk to him without hyperventilating."

"Fine. But I told you before. I'm hopeless around guys, especially ones as gorgeous as Drew," wailed May. Dawn put an arm around the lovelorn girl. "Don't worry, hun! With someone as experienced as me helping you out, you're sure to make that boy helpless at the very sight of you." She turned around and shook her bunny tail. "After all, that's what I do best." Just then, Ash walked into the room. "Hey, guys," he said. "Hey, Ash," said Dawn sweetly, her rear still posed outwards, and winked. But instead of getting flustered like [pretty much any other guy Dawn tried to flirt with], he just smiled and replied, "Hey, Dee Dee. What's up?"

Dawn was not happy. Misty snickered at her.

Ash turned to Misty. "Sooo…I hear Gary dropped by with some invitations to his Halloween party."

She nodded. "Have you picked out a costume yet?"

"Yeah. I'm going to be Brock, and Brock's going to be me." He laughed. He had a nice laugh, although she would never, ever tell him that.

"Well, I can't wait for the party. This is the first year I've actually gotten to pick out my own costume."

"Well, I—" he punched her playfully on the arm— "can't wait to see it. Later, May. Aaanddd—" he paused to deliver a very large, very sarcastic wink to Dawn—"bye, Dawn." He left their room, and the three girls could hear him chuckling even as he went downstairs.

"He is sooo not funny," grumbled a disgruntled Dawn.

"But he's soooo cute," argued May. Misty snorted again.

"You know, you might contract a throat disease if you keep doing that," May sniffed. Misty hit her with a pillow, and soon enough the three girls were engaged in a to-the-death pillow fight (that is, until someone broke a nail, which would more likely than not be Dawn, who would scream bloody murder if said instance occurred).

"Isn't he just _gorgeous?_" May clearly enjoyed toying with death. "Y'know, Mist, I bet deep inside you're just _dying_ to kiss him." She grabbed two Pokémon dolls off of the shelf and acted out her accusation with the helpless victims.

The mortified redhead let out a war cry and went in to sock May with her weapon of choice. Feathers flew everywhere, and May was knocked into a purple beanbag. "Fine! I surrender! I surrender!" she cried, and Misty managed to hit her a few more times before Dawn grabbed the enraged girl's arms and held them behind her back, bringing an end to her reign of terror.

Then they all sat down on the floor, breathing heavily, with Misty glaring at May and Dawn shifting uncomfortably between them. Another war would have surely broken out if Mrs. Ketchum had not knocked on the door and poked her head in. "Gi-irls, dinner's ready," she announced sweetly.

Misty couldn't help but like the woman. She had big, soulful brown eyes that just seemed to take away all your worries when you looked into them, hair to match, a dainty composure, and an amiable, maternal personality. Misty wondered if her mother had been like that; after all, she had died when Misty was only a baby, and she had never really known the woman. But she hoped that if she was alive today, she would be exactly like Mrs. Ketchum. Misty sighed to herself. She would never know.

At dinner, everyone seemed to notice that Misty was troubled. The girl whose meal would normally be Gone in Sixty Seconds was hardly touching anything on her plate. Instead, she was aimlessly swirling her fork around in her mashed potatoes, lost in thought and looking quite forlorn.

"Hey, Misty."

She ignored the voice, partially because she knew it belonged to May, partially because she knew that May thought _she_ knew what Misty was thinking, and she didn't. She never did. Misty took pride in being a thoroughly unreadable person.

"Misty, if…if what I said earlier to you…you know, about—"

"No! It's not _that_!" Misty yelped, not wanting to bring up the topic again, _especially _not in front on Ash and his mom. She coughed uncomfortably. "It's nothing."

_You know what? It is nothing, _she thought. _I have friends who love me. I don't need some old lady to push me around. _She winced. _Sorry, Mom._

She turned her head and smiled at the worried brunette. "It's okay. I'll let it go—"

May perked up. "Oh, thank Ho-oh! I promise I won't do it again, ever—"

"—but if you repeat it to anyone, I'll mail your Contest ribbons to Harley with a love note attached."

"You wouldn't!"

Misty's eyes met Ash's, and they chuckled together at the thought of May explaining the situation to her fabulous arch-nemesis. Soon enough, everyone was laughing, and the lighthearted mood was restored to the household.

That night, as the three friends were settling into bed (or rather, as Misty was—May was reading a romance novel while cuddled up on the window seat, and Dawn was painting on a fourth coat of powder-pink nail polish), Pikachu popped her head into the room. She looked around, exclaimed "_pika pi!"_ and hopped up the stairs to where Misty lay on the top bunk. She nuzzled her head against the trainer's cheek, and Misty slowly opened her aqua eyes. 'Hi, Pikachu," she said to the cute yellow mouse, and scratched her tiny head. Just then, Ash poked his head in the room. Dawn shrieked and covered her cucumber mask-ed face with a sheet, and May was so surprised she threw her book out of the window and into Mrs. Ketchum's vegetable garden. "Tell me what happens to David and Angelica!" she shouted down to the lettuce, her body perched halfway through the window. Then she yawned and fell asleep. Ash chuckled, picking her up gently and carrying her to her bed. Then he looked at her clothes, then at Misty.

"I, uh, don't suppose you'd rather change her into pajamas…I mean, I would, but…" he blushed a deep scarlet. "You should probably do it."

Misty giggled and climbed down from the bunk bed. Pikachu jumped on her shoulder, and Ash caught sight of his favorite pet. "There you are!" He picked her up and rocked the sleepy Pokémon in his arms. "I guess it's bedtime for this one, too." He smiled at Misty, who had just noticed that Dawn, too, was falling asleep, and was beginning to paint her hands pink. She pried the bottle of nail polish from the blue-haired girl's grasp, and wiped off her hands with a paper towel. Ash scrubbed off her mask with another one, and pulled the covers up around her. She mumbled sleepily about a shoe sale, then dozed off.

"Geez, you'd think they were five years old," complained Misty halfheartedly as she flopped down on the purple beanbag. Ash laughed and threw himself down next to her, and pretended to paint his body pink with Dawn's nail polish. They covered their mouths as they exploded into fits of laughter. "We'd make good parents, though. I mean, not _together_, but—um…" she blushed, and tried to hide it by shifting her gaze elsewhere, anywhere but Ash.

Ash suddenly turned to look at Misty, and as she looked back at him she became instantly aware of how unkempt her hair probably looked, and how she wasn't wearing any makeup, not even lip balm, and how she had on only a ratty oversized T-shirt that read _Trovita Island: Land of Paradise _on the front, and _especially _how she could feel Ash's warm body touching her own as they sat in the beanbag together. Her mind was racing faster than Ricky Bobby on the Talladega Superspeedway, and although her brain told her she and Ash were best friends and there was nothing about this situation that should be awkward, her heart disagreed, and now all Misty could think of was cheesy love songs. _L is for the way you look at me…_

_Oh, shut up, _she told herself.

"Ummm…where was I?" Ash inquired, as if staring deep into someone's eyes and then acting as if nothing had happened was perfectly normal.

She was sure she was as pink as a Luvdisc right now. "It's almost eleven thirty. You and Pikachu are going to need a good night's rest for the party tomorrow."

"Good idea, Mist. We'll need our strength if we want to have a ghost of a chance at scaring people." He grinned at her, pretending to be the Cheshire cat.

"Your costume isn't scary! You're dressing up as Brock!"

"It's going to be terrifying to all the girls."

"True. But that ghost pun was terrible."

"Agreed."

He got up. "Well, I'd better get some sleep." He offered her a hand and she took it, and Ash pulled her up from the beanbag. He pulled a little too hard, though, and Misty's face stopped inches away from his own. They looked at each other for a split second, and Misty was sure he was going to kiss her. She could sense his heart beating fast, feel his palms getting sweaty, and see the longing in his eyes just as clearly as if she had been looking right into his soul. But he let her hand slip from his own, and with a quick "Good night," Ash sped from the room, hiding the blush that was rapidly spreading across his cheeks with the darkness of the hallway outside.

Misty, confused at what had just happened between them, surprised that Ash seemed to be embarrassed about it (he normally showed no sign of hormone-driven emotions), and angry that he had had the chance to kiss her, but he didn't. Was it because she wasn't pretty enough for him? Wait. Why was she so upset about that? Was that what being single for fifteen years did to you, or was she just going insane? Trying to rid herself of these thoughts, she gently sat May upright and pulled her shirt over her head, then slipped on a nightgown and tucked her back in again. Then she collapsed in her place on the top bunk, brimming with theories and questions and worries. But finally, despite all that was going on in her mind, Misty fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Preparations

Chapter Two: Preparations

Misty awoke from a night of vivid dreams to two bright faces perched over her own. She opened her eyes groggily. "Ugghhh…what time is it?"

"Eight thirty," they chirped in unison.

Misty groaned and threw her face back into her pillow. Dawn yanked off her blankets. "Let's go, sunshine! We have sooo much to do today!"

"I'm guessing sleeping isn't in the activities list," the bed-headed redhead grumbled. But she let them drag her out of her comfort zone (literally).

After Misty had scrubbed her face with soap ("That's all?" a bewildered Dawn had asked. The blue-haired beauty never used less than seven face washes, creams, and serums on her beloved complexion, so as not to ever be seen looking less than perfect) and brushed her teeth, she began to brush out her long, fiery red hair till it shone. "Your hair is like a Rapidash's mane," May remarked with admiration. Although she had meant well, Misty did not see the bright side of looking like a horse, even though Sarah Jessica Parker seemed to play it off pretty well. She combed through her tresses furiously. Maybe if she brushed hard enough, her hair would turn blond, or brown, or any other color but orange. She hated orange. She was even in a bad mood about it when the three went downstairs to make breakfast, and when May offered her the reviled fruit she flung it through the kitchen window, knocking over a poor, innocuous garden gnome. May quaveringly extended her hand with a Pop Tart, attempting to placate the force of destruction, and Misty apologized and took it from her shaking fingers.

"So what's the plan today?" she asked Dawn as she bit into her Pop Tart.

Dawn winced. "Don't _do _that."

"What, eat?"

"No! Chew with your mouth open!"

"Well, I can't talk to you when it's closed."

"Well, you sure as hell can't talk to me when it's open. I don't want to see all your chewed up food," Dawn retorted, provoking a punch from the irritated redhead, which she dodged, giggling. "Fine, Misty, I'm sorry. Just ask the stupid question."

Misty swallowed a sip of juice (apple juice, to be exact—May had taken precautions with the beverages so as not to have a repeat of the Garden Gnome Incident). "I _said_, what are we doing today?"

"Well, May and I need some more things for our costumes, and—"

Misty almost spewed out her apple juice. "_This _was what was so important?!"

Dawn held up a hand as if to pause her. "Misty, the Celadon Department Store has everything you could ever want. It's more than a store. It's a _dream._" She pronounced the last word with such panache, pretending to create a rainbow in the air over her head as she spoke, that even the reluctant redhead, who was usually about as persuadable as Ash's Charizard, agreed to go, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Because they were going to be walking amongst "high society" in the glamour of Celadon, Misty's spirited companions wanted to make sure to keep in touch with the latest trends and fashions. She just rolled her eyes and threw on a crop top and shorts, to their horror, but was persuaded into a lacy turquoise dress complete with a skinny brown belt and lace-up wedges. "I'm wobbling all _over_ the place," she moaned, knocking over a lamp. Dawn just told her it was in the name of fashion and tried to show her the proper way to walk in heels.

While Misty continued her destructive streak in the kitchen due to her unsteady knees, the wedges, and a rather lacking sense of balance, May had picked out her outfit: a strapless yellow dress with ruffles at the top, along with beaded sandals and a gold charm bracelet. She sighed contentedly, reveling in her marvelous taste, then slipped on the outfit.

Like the archetypal perfectionist she was, Dawn had chosen her outfit the night before and tried it on a few times just to make sure it really was good enough for the big city. A soft pink blouse and white lacy miniskirt, complete with a silver locket studded with diamonds and a pearl in the very center (a gift from the poor, friendzoned Kenny) and white peep-toe wedges, brought even more splendor to her perfectly balanced form, and she had curled her hair so it hung in velvety cobalt ringlets around her heart-shaped face. Looking at her walking though the city like that, you would never know she was only fifteen and a half. Although she knew she was beautiful (everyone she had ever met and One Direction told her so) and she was simply brimming with confidence, the young coordinator still questioned the very essence of what good looks were. She had stared at her reflection in the mirror for many long hours, contemplating the mysteries of beauty and attraction (that was possibly why she was such a virtuoso love guru).

In the end, Misty could amble along like she was somewhat sober, and Dawn was satisfied.

After that, the three set off on a ferry for Celadon City. As they breathed in the fresh morning air (conditioning, because Dawn simply would not allow them to sit outside amongst the elements of nature, saying that her hair would be blown in funny directions and her lips would dry out and at that point they acquiesced and went to sit inside) May and Dawn blathered on about the Celadon Department Store. Misty, although a lifelong resident of the Kanto region, had never been to the much-talked-about mall, and half of her was excited about it. The other half was pissed at Dawn and May for waking her up at practically the middle of the night to go there. Nonetheless, she put on a smile for her friends, although now and then it fell into a snarl-y thing without her noticing, and the others became quite ill at ease until she noticed their odd expressions and made herself smile again.

When they finally arrived in Celadon City, Dawn squealed and raced off the ferry, provoking a number of glares from the passengers she had just shoved aside. May and Misty followed in her wake, trying not to lose their eager companion in the crowd.

They finally caught up to her outside the famous Department Store, where her eyes were fixed upon a billboard of a dark-haired model holding up a pomegranate to her lips. The ad was for a new serum that supposedly made your complexion glow. "Whatever that means," Misty scowled, content with her own, though pomegranate-less, skin. "Come on, Dawn." They practically had to drag her away from the poster.

Half an hour and three jumbo pretzels later, the three girls were making their way via twenty-seven staircases to the top of the colossal mall, where "all the _good_ stores" were, according to Dawn. They were panting like Growlithes and regretting their designer footwear when they finally reached the top. "I'm…going to…die," wheezed Misty.

"There _has _to be a water fountain up here somewhere," gasped May, looking around for one. "I can't believe we didn't stop at any of the other floors."

Misty couldn't wait any longer. She grabbed a Pokéball from her purse and threw it out right in the middle of the floor. Luckily, there was no one around, so Dawn wasn't _completely_ mortified by this action.

Out came a five-pointed Pokémon with a red gem at its heart. "Staryu, water gun!" the redheaded trainer ordered, her voice cracking from thirst.

"_Hyah!" _Staryu exclaimed, and produced a jet of sparkling liquid that hit a potted plant and shattered it into a pile of dirt and beleaguered-looking leaves. Misty's eyes widened. "Or how about just a water _drip_." The Pokémon decreased the force of the water, and its trainer sat down and drank it gratefully, taking gulp after gulp until Dawn, tired of waiting for a turn, branded her a Swalot and took out her own Pokéball.

"Piplup, go!" The penguin Pokémon came out and peeped "_piplup!" _at Dawn. "Okay, Pip, can you aim your Ice Beam at the ceiling?" she asked pleasantly. Piplup acquiesced, and a glittering shower of frost came raining down and melted like butter on Dawn's skin. She sighed in relief. "Oh, that feels nice."

May, not wanting to be outdone by another coordinator, chose her favorite turtle Pokémon. "Wartortle, take the stage!" she cried. "Now use Aqua Tail!" The Pokémon spun its tail around, producing a carousel of water. "Now hit that thing with Ice Beam!"

"_Wartortle!" _it exclaimed, freezing the water with one impressive hit.

"Now shatter it with Bubble Beam!" May sang. The frozen formation burst into a million pieces and fell like snowflakes all over the three girls and their Pokémon.

"Wow, this is like December all over again!" Misty said. "Impressive, May."

"Oh, that was nothing," she said breezily. You should see Blaziken's routine.

"Now," the lovely brunette chirruped happily, "let's go shopping!"

It was four o'clock when Misty, May, and Dawn returned to Pallet Town, laden down with countless treasures of the commercial world, and Misty, the only one capable of ringing the doorbell without dropping seventy pairs of designer shoes, did so, and the door was opened by a slightly startled Ash, who was received briefly by May and Dawn before they brushed past him to dump their purchases on their bedroom floor. Left to fend for herself, Misty stood next to Ash rather awkwardly for a moment, biting her lip and wondering if he was still thinking about what had happened the previous night.

"Listen, Mist, about last night—"

He was.

She cut him off with an attempt to smile. "It's okay. I know you didn't mean to do what you did, and I don't want it to affect our friendship." But she did, and (although she didn't know it) he did, and the only thing keeping them from falling into each other's arms was what Misty had just said. But only the narrator knows that at the moment.

"Oh…okay. Great." He smiled, pushing back disappointment, and let her walk past him and upstairs to her room.

"Goodnight," he whispered, long after she was gone.

It was five o'clock now, and with two hours left until the party, the girls were in no rush to look fantastic (even though it would inevitably occur). Dawn had finished putting the last touches on her costume, which was a white, sparkly strapless leotard and black tights with a bow-tie choker and pink bunny ears. She looked it over once or twice then, content with her getup, dragged out an overflowing makeup bag from a drawer in the bathroom and plopped it on the counter. May was brushing out her pink wig and styling it into the nurses' iconic looped-braid shape. Misty was twirling around in her sophisticated gown, watching the colors ripple as she moved. She loved how it tapered at the waist, hugged her legs in a flattering fashion, and then flowed out at the feet in a mermaid-like style. It was so _her._ Not Daisy or Lily or Violet or anyone else (especially not Raticate). She walked into the bathroom, where Dawn was pulling a mascara wand across her already luxurious lashes.

"Hey, Dawn?"

"Yeah?" the blue-haired beauty replied. "Sorry, I can't look at you, this is kind of a delicate step…you see, in order to get _all _the lashes, I have to—"

"I don't mind. I just wanted to ask you a question."

"Okay. Shoot."

"Um, well…you know how you like to figure out who has a crush on who?"

"Never been wrong," said Dawn, blowing off the top of her mascara like a smoking gun.

"Well," she said, trying her best to be nonchalant and failing miserably, "who do you think has a crush on me?"

Dawn twisted the top back onto her tube of mascara and turned to look at Misty, who had by this time given up the air of indifference and was staring at her nervously with eyebrows tilted in anxiety, biting her lip and preparing herself for the answer. Dawn could understand her feelings. She was good at that, just as much as Misty was terrible at hiding them. "I'm surprised you don't already know."

Misty shook her head. "I don't. But it was kind of a rhetorical question anyway. I mean, I'm not sure if I want to find out."

The precocious fifteen-year-old giggled a little as she whipped out a powder puff and began generously dusting her face with it. "Well, that's a relief, because I'm not allowed to tell you."

"What?"

"Tell you…you know…who has a crush on you…"

Misty waved her hands around in frustration. "I know what you won't tell me, but I don't know why not!"

"Because I promised him I wouldn't."

"Promised who?"

"Nice try, red," Dawn shook her finger at Misty.

"Well, at _least _tell me if he's _cute_."

"Oh, very." Dawn began to sweep a light pink blush across her cheekbones, followed by a mass of glitter.

This was like playing Twenty Questions with furniture.

"Does May know?"

"Probably. I mean, it's _kind_ of _obvious_."

"Umm…how long have we known each other?"

"Awhile."

Furniture would give better answers than Dawn.

"Dawn, I'm pretty sure I know who _might_ like me, but I'm just not sure if his feelings are real, or just…" she didn't want to think about the rest of that sentence.

"Well, I'll tell you how you're going to find out," said Dawn, waggling a tube of lipgloss at Misty's face, then proceeding to apply it to the center of her lips. "Gary invited practically all of Kanto to his party, am I right? So he'll be at the party, you get him to dance with you, you make your move on him, and you two can get married and have everlasting love and a zillion kids and whatever."

"Great idea, major flaw," Misty pointed out.

"Are you kidding? My ideas are flawless," Dawn was shocked.

"I'm a hopeless romantic," Misty sighed.

"Still not seeing the flaw."

"No! I mean, I'm a hopeless romantic. As in, hopeless at being romantic."

"Okay, that might be a slight hiccup. _Not_ a flaw," Dawn argued. "I can teach you how to be romantic. Especially in such an absolutely _perfect_ setting."

"A Halloween party." Misty raised an eyebrow doubtfully. "Where everyone will be dressed as freaks of nature and T.V. characters."

Dawn was insulted. "I am _not _a freak."

"You're a rabbit-human mutant. I'm pretty sure that's close enough."

Dawn held up her hands in defeat. "Whatever. All I'm saying is, I can make this the night of your dreams. But, I mean, if you don't want that—"

"I want it! I apologize!" Misty squeaked.

The navy-haired teacher of love smiled at her newest pupil. "Okay, then. What do you need help with?"

Misty gave her a look. "Everything."

Dawn clasped her hands together. "Perfect! Don't worry, hun, you're going to be irresistible by the time we're finished! May, would you care to join us?"

"With what?" May entered the bathroom in her Nurse Joy costume, and Misty almost believed she was the real thing until she looked down and found herself eye-to-Christmas-tree with a pair of holiday pajama pants.

"Loooovvveee," Dawn sang.

"Of course!" May sat down on the bottom bunk bed that was Dawn's, and Dawn and Misty plopped down in the beanbag together. "Now, Misty," said May expertly, sounding just like her mother, "the first thing to remember is to be Dawn."

"Um…I thought it was 'be yourself'."

"Well, considering you haven't a clue about matters like this…"

"The funny thing is, I used to be," Misty said thoughtfully. "I mean, when we visited Trovita Island, and Rudy fell in love with me, I knew just what to do. Maybe I still do," she said, rising from the beanbag. "Maybe I'm just doubtful because I've never had an actual boyfriend."

May and Dawn exchanged glances and shrugged. "No harm in testing that," said Dawn tolerantly. "Okay—if you were about to kiss someone, what would you do?"

Misty blushed as she thought about the incident with Ash the previous night. She tried to picture the situation again, but this time, she would do it right. "Well, I'd wrap my arms around his neck, playing with his hair a little, and I'd stare deep into his eyes, and…" she started reimagining Ash's big brown eyes staring into her own as she felt his warmth against her. "…and I'd bite my lip really softly, just to tease him a bit. Then he'd probably lean in a little closer, and I'd kiss him."

"You're ready," breathed Dawn.


	3. Chapter 3: Reparations

Chapter Three: Reparations

(not to mention Flirtations)

It was six o'clock, and everyone but Mrs. Ketchum (who was still preparing her costume, an '80s Barbie look, complete with five-inch platform heels, a tight, multicolored dress, and the power to scare her son into another dimension) was strewn out across the floor playing Texas Hold 'Em. Dawn was an excellent player but she stopped whatever she was doing every six minutes or so just to make sure her makeup hadn't smudged or her hair hadn't wandered out of place; May was biting her nails and glancing nervously at her deck (like the queen of bluffing she was, because no one ever suspected the girl who wore Hello Kitty perfume and cried at every movie, regardless of the genre, to be a deceptive troll), Misty was smirking inside her head because she had a royal flush, and Ash, who was sitting next to her and could sense an aura of rather intimidating elation hovering around the redheaded girl, was beginning to think that maybe he couldn't be the very best like no one ever was at _everything_.

The game was tense, because the pot was simply loaded with cherished trinkets which had been reluctantly donated to the stash by each of the players: special Pokéballs, jewelry, etc., and everyone was worried that someone else might win and take the glorious prizes. So they all sat there, breathing at an unnatural intensity, trying to put on their best poker faces despite their obvious lack of a winning hand. Everyone but Misty, of course.

The stressful war of intimidation was put to a halt when the sound of the doorbell rang throughout the house, breaking everyone's concentration. Ash leapt to his feet, scattering his cards on the floor. "I quit. This game is hopeless," he said. Misty got up after him. "What?! Now we can't finish the game, you cheater! And I would have won, too…"

"…if it weren't for you meddling kids," Dawn whispered, giggling. Misty tried to keep herself angry, but after covering up her amusement with enraged grunts for a full ten seconds, she couldn't help laughing along with the others. Dawn was an excellent peacemaker.

She turned to Ash, who looked relieved that his hotheaded acquaintance had cooled down to a safe temperature. "Well, aren't you going to open it?" she asked, jamming an aqua-nail-polished finger towards the door.

"Oh…right." He blushed a bit and began fumbling with the lock.

"_This _year, if it's not too much trouble, Ash."

He shrugged contritely. "Sor_ry_."

Finally, just when Misty's characteristic lack of patience was about to bust a window and drag the doorbell-ringer through it, Ash pulled the door open, revealing none other than Brock. The dark-skinned young man (actually, he wishes me to inform you that he is in fact _twenty five_ and is therefore a legit _man_, no demeaning adjectives strings attached) grinned widely at the group.

"So, how's everybody been?" he asked, as they stared at him in wonder.

The Pewter Gym leader was made up as an (unusually tall; he _was_ six foot three) Ash Ketchum doppelganger, with spiked-out hair dyed black and the outfit he wore in Sinnoh: green fingerless gloves, red sneakers, blue cargo pants, and a black vest with a yellow stripe over a white T-shirt. Brock picked up a red and black hat and twisted it backwards onto his raven-colored hair. "I choose _you_!" he exclaimed, tossing out a Pokéball from which emerged a rather displeased Croagunk adorned with yellow Pikachu ears and twin spots of rouge on its cheeks.

"_Croooaaaakk_," it said, shaking off the ears.

Everyone laughed, except for Pikachu, who was hiding behind Ash's legs and occasionally peeking her head out to inspect the strange apparition. Ash picked her up and put her on his shoulder, and she snuggled into his neck contentedly, glad to be within a safe distance from the odd Pokémon.

Ash laughed as he looked over Brock's disguise. "Hah! It's way better than mine," he said. He had worn only an olive-green shirt and brown pants.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think you don't take me very seriously," chuckled Brock. "So I guess we should be going," he said, changing the topic and glancing at the Marill clock on the living room wall. "We don't want to arrive late, especially at the Professor's house. As I always say, 'better to be fashionably early than fashionably late!'"

"You never say that," Misty raised an eyebrow at him. "But I agree. We should head out before we miss the party."

Dawn and May grabbed their coats (yellow and pink, respectively) off the coat-rack, and Brock held the door for them as they entered into the brisk atmosphere outside. Misty was reaching for her coat, but before her hand could make contact, someone else took it off the rack and laid it over her shoulders. Surprised, she looked up into a pair of brown eyes. Ash was smiling shyly at her, his hands still resting upon her shoulders. She could feel them trembling a little bit. _Is he nervous?_ she thought. _Poor guy. He was probably just trying to be nice, even though he knows I usually like to do things myself. _ One corner of her mouth turned up in a sweet smile, and his expression relaxed a little, becoming more genuine. Then his eyes widened again, realizing his hands were still on her shoulders, and he quickly removed them, coughing awkwardly and shifting his gaze past her to Brock, who was still holding the door, and back to his aqua-eyed companion. "Um…I-I'm going out the door," he said stupidly. Then he shuffled past both of them and went outside. Misty and Brock just stared.

"What's up with him?" queried the redhead, turning to her friend.

Brock smiled gently, as though he were thinking to himself, then coughed to break the train of thought. "Beats me."

Misty narrowed her eyes at him. "I can tell when you're lying."

He chuckled. "Alright. But listen, can you help me with something?" He looked serious when he said this, and Misty lost her interest in the previous subject.

"What? Tell me."

His eyes glazed over dreamily as he spoke, turning to the sky as if he was giving a speech and his notes were written on the moon. "Well, there's this girl…well, not really a girl. More like a woman, really. No, she's more than a woman. She's a goddess."

Misty started humming _More Than A Woman_.

"Stop it! This is serious," he said, and she stopped, wondering how special this girl must be in order for Brock to be so intent on discussing the matter in complete gravity.

"Okay, I'll listen. But make it fast."

"So she lives in Hoenn, and she's Pike Queen of the Battle Frontier—"

"What?"

"Never mind. The point is, I figured you must know a lot about love from your sisters (here he stopped as he started picturing a fantasy in his head which we shall not discuss, and only snapped out of it when he was slapped out of it), and I thought you might know how I could…you know…"

"I _don't_ know. Do you want to get married or have sex with her?"

"Both, eventually."

Misty rolled her eyes, laughing. "No! I meant tonight."

The gym leader shrugged is broad shoulders. "That's where you come in. We've known each other for six years, and in all the time we traveled together, I haven't picked up a single babe."

Their conversation was interrupted by Mrs. Ketchum/Barbie, who clip-clopped past them and out the door. "You kids coming?" she chirped, peeking her head back in.

"Just one ore second, Mrs. Ketchum. Brock needs some help with romance," Misty said.

"Misty!" Brock said, embarrassed.

The perky brunette clasped her hands together in elation. "Oh, Brock's in love? That's so cute! You know, Brock," she said, smiling, "I am an expert on love myself, if you'd like some advice."

Misty jumped up. "Perfect! I know nothing about adults," she said, pulling her coat sleeves over her arms and hi-tailing it out the door. "See ya at the party!"

"Alright, Brock," said Mrs. Ketchum matter-of-factly, "let me teach you about love."

Meanwhile, May, Dawn, Ash, and Misty had arrived at the party, and were now amusing themselves in various ways—May was hovering around Drew, blathering about how this was a great party and she was probably going to have one for Halloween next year and would he please come maybe, and finally he turned around and looked at her and, finding he could not resist her blue-eyed gaze, shut her up with a kiss, his bangs falling onto his face as he leaned down to close the distance between them. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly took advantage of the situation and wrapped her arms around his neck. Drew, in turn, opened his eyes as she did so, and, finding that he rather enjoyed this, grabbed her waist and pulled her in closer. Gary, who was certainly no stranger to situations like this, had been observing them from a short distance away, and went in to whisper something into Drew's ear. The emerald-haired coordinator flushed pink and, taking hold of each other's hands, the two of them ran off to someplace more private to continue their lovemaking.

Dawn had also been watching May woo her beloved, and as the two lovebirds exited the scene of the party, she nodded in satisfaction and turned to get a glass of punch. Before she realized it, however, she had locked eyes with a handsome chestnut-haired boy who was not, in fact, Gary—as it turned out, Kenny had also traveled from Sinnoh to come to the party and he was better-looking than ever, at least to Dawn, and she wondered how her old, clumsy childhood friend had magically turned into Ryan Gosling in the blink of an eye. _Time to put my skill set to use_, she thought to herself, batting her eyelashes and advancing towards the boy, whose gaze was still fixed upon the vision of beauty that lay before his hazel eyes.

"Hi, Kenny," she said softly.

"H-h-h-hi, Dawn," he stuttered, then, regaining his composure: "Great party, isn't it?"

"Mm," agreed Dawn, opening her crystal blue eyes to their full size and her lips just enough so they were slightly apart and perfectly kissable. She toyed with a loose strand of her silky cobalt hair, and Kenny lost his composure once again—this time, for good.

"Umm…do you want to…"

"Yes," breathed Dawn, and they headed towards the gazebo outside in the back, hand in hand, occasionally stealing a glance at the other.

Meanwhile, Misty had been watching both of her friends somehow manage to fulfill their party fantasies, while she sat, thinking to herself in a chair in a secluded corner of the room, watching the party take place in a blur of colors, wondering, wishing, waiting for her true love to show up and sweep her off her feet. She rested her elbows on her knees, and her head on her hands. It had been two hours since the party began, and yet no one had asked her to dance or even talked to her. Gary had waved, but then he had been engulfed by a horde of pretty girls and she never saw him again. Her mood began to sharply descend. _Why am I always the girl who ends up alone? Is it because I'm ugly?_ she wondered to herself, reaching a hand up to feel her cheeks, her nose, her hair, which she had forgotten to curl because everyone wanted to play poker and she didn't want to miss out. She had always been proud of herself, being smart, independent, and beautiful in a deeper sense—but now she wondered if guys didn't want strength and inner beauty. Maybe they wanted girls like Dawn and May, with big, beautiful eyes, perfect lips, perfect brows, perfect _everything_…tears began to stream down her face, and she hid in her hands as she shook with deep sobs. She knew it would make her face red and her eyes puffy if she cried, but she didn't care. No one was watching her. She could feel her makeup running, but there was no one to impress anyway. Brokenhearted and screaming inside, Misty ran upstairs. On her way, she brushed by Ash, who was talking with a friend with a glass of punch in his hand, and he turned just soon enough to see her ascending the stairs in tears. His heart broke for her, and he wondered what had happened. Misty never lost her composure, unless it was in anger, and if she felt sad she never cried, even a little bit, despite how many times he had told her it was okay to do it sometimes, that it was only human.

He followed up the stairs after her, and as he got closer to the first room he could hear sobs emanating from behind the door. His hand rested on the handle for a moment before he turned it and entered the room. Misty heard him come in, and her tear-streaked face quickly jerked around to see who it was. When she saw Ash, she turned her head around just as quickly and shielded it with a trembling hand. "Don't look at me!" she cried. "I'm an ugly mess."

But he continued to walk over to where she sat on the edge of the bed, and sat himself down next to her, reaching a protective arm around her shoulders and bringing her in closer to him, so that her head rested against his chest. She was surprised that he had been so bold as to touch her like that, but she knew that despite his occasional awkwardness, Ash was the most caring person she had ever known. He wouldn't desert a Pidgey with a broken wing, or a girl with a broken heart. Her tears rolled down onto his shirt, and he could feel her shaking from crying so much. He reached his other hand up to stroke her head, and she felt as if it was her mother's touch, gentle and soothing, an assurance to her that everything would be alright. "Misty," he said, and she looked up at him. His eyes were solemn and fiery at the same time. "Who did this—"

She broke him off. "No one! No one did this to me," she said emphatically, her large eyes widening. "I-I just…" her words trailed off.

He wiped the tears off of her face. She loved the feeling of his fingers gliding over her skin, and how he caressed her cheek with the curve of his hand. She gently took hold of his wrist and held it for a long moment, basking in the warmth of his touch, and at that moment Misty knew she loved him. He was more than a friend; he was a protector and a source of relief from her troubles. She wanted to tell him. She longed to tell him; to open her mouth and let the words pour out, but as soon as she parted her lips they seemed to become lodged in her throat. She closed her lips again. Maybe it was for the better. Ash was the Pokémon Master, a prodigy who had proved he was capable of living out his dreams, a good-looking boy who could get any girl he wanted without even trying. He was only sixteen, and he had already lived out his life. What could she possibly have to offer him? She was hardly pretty, especially compared to her sisters, not to mention her friends. Guys like him didn't cross the friendship line with girls like her, and that would never change. It was simply a fact of life.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Ash's voice, calm and low. "Misty?"

"Yes?"

"If no one did anything to make you like this…what happened?"

Should she tell him? She heard the sound of her voice break through her deliberations. "Well…I was feeling kind of lonely, and I saw May go off with Drew and Dawn with Kenny—"

"Damn. I had my money on Gary," he said, chuckling, and Misty couldn't help but join in despite her distraught state. "I'm sorry. Keep telling me the story," he said, attentive once more.

"—and I just kept wondering why no one had asked me to dance yet, or even talked to me, and I realized it was because guys go after girls like May and Dawn, because they're gorgeous, and no one really cares about girls with only inner beauty." She sobbed, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"What about girls with both?" he asked softly, and before she knew what was happening, he had leaned down and locked his lips onto hers in a beautiful, perfect, wonderful, slow-motion kiss, and she was kissing him back with all the love she had been hiding away for six years. _Six _years. It had felt so much longer than that. Misty had rued the day she got that phone call from her sisters, the phone call that put half the world between her and Ash, and whenever he called from Hoenn or Sinnoh or Unova to see how the gym was coming along, and how all the Pokémon were, and if she had seen anyone they knew, her heart broke He held her face with one hand and her waist with another, drawing her closer to him. As he released his lips from Misty's, he stopped to stare into her eyes, which had always been his favorite thing about her. They were a mystical blue-green, the color of the ocean just before sunset, and were framed with lovely brown lashes. He saw her eyes twinkle as she returned his gaze, and he was relieved to see that all traces of tears had disappeared from her now-glowing skin.

"I missed you," she said, almost starting to cry again, then realizing how weak that would be. She was disgusted enough with herself about the little scene that had gotten her into this…and Ash had come to comfort her…and…_well, perhaps everyone needs to let go of their emotions once in a while. Even me._

She regained her composure, and looked straight into Ash's eyes. "I didn't think you were ever going to come back from Hoenn. Do you remember when I came to visit you guys…when I had to…" It was when she had to leave her Togetic behind in the Mirage Kingdom. Misty's eyes began to well up again at the memory. _Ah, great. More tears,_ she thought sarcastically, pushing them back.

"Yeah. But Misty, you have to remind yourself that it was for the best." He touched her arm gently.

She shook her head. "No—I mean, leaving Togetic was hard, but…when I saw you with May and Max I began to wonder what you had been doing all that time I had been at the gym; if you had grown tired of being alone and found new traveling companions. Don't get me wrong, May was sweet and Max and I had a lot in common and all—but, you see, that was what scared me the most."

He pulled her in tighter to him, a look of understanding in his eyes. "You thought they might take your place."

She nodded. "Especially May. She was sweet and lovely and I just couldn't help feeling the slightest bit jealous. And when you were in Sinnoh, you called me from a Pokémon Center, and as we were talking the most beautiful girl I had ever seen popped into the screen beside you, and she touched you, and talked sweetly to you, and I couldn't help but think about how I was always so cruel to you when we were younger, and despite how we had seemingly moved on with our friendship, I knew she had the advantage. I saw her lips move as she talked to me, but it was all motion; the noise had been drained out of the room, and I felt like I could simply die. And I stopped talking to you after that."

"Misty, I'm so sorry," Ash said to her. His tone was remorseful. "I had no idea…I thought that when I came back from Unova as the Champion and you were at my house, and glad to see me, and…I guess I forgot about the fact that we hadn't talked in years."

But Misty's mind didn't focus on his words. She had listened to her words as they exited her lips, bitter, distressed, angry. She didn't want to be angry with Ash. She loved him, and always had. And her loved her, Arceus only knew for how long, but they had known each other since they were small. Ash wasn't in love with her because he thought she was hot. He had _fallen_ in love with her, gradually and inexorably, over the years they had spent together as friends, and vice versa. He hadn't gotten that chance with the other girls.

She looked at him once more, her eyes sunny with no chance of thunderstorms (except maybe a few tears of joy) her alabaster complexion radiating with happiness. "I don't care," she said, "I don't care about the past; all that matters to me now is the future. We can make it perfect, Ash. We can make it _ours_." And she took his head in her hands and kissed his lips. Just then, the first rays of sunlight broke in through an opening in the drapes. They had been there all night. Normally, they would have been concerned about getting home as not to worry the others, but not this time. This time they just laughed.

So there it is! If you like this story, please feel free to let me know in the comments below, and if you hate it, I promise you can rant all you want about it (then come the assassins…jk, jk). :P If you want a certain Pokémon ship to be the focus of my next story, please let me know…I can do pretty much anything except old game characters (because, sadly, I have not played anything before FireRed _*boooo*_), and if you _really_ want, I can do BW characters, but oh god _please_ don't make me, because that would inevitably entail me having to watch the show to fully understand the proposed ship, and I really cannot stand Iris Mini-Beyoncé.

Well then…Aufwiedersen! (since when am I Heidi Klum? *_Reflection _from_ Mulan _begins to play*)

Sometimes I doubt my own sanity. :P


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